Sweet Skin & Bloody Bones
by SuckstoLoveRed
Summary: Marceline and Bonnie have a volatile relationship that end up in a little bit of a confusing state. They get out of it, go there, do that, but only to keep finding themselves winding back into it.
1. Raw

Sweet Skin & Bloody Bones

Contact has some sort of energy flowing when it comes in waves; the way it passes, coming and goes and coming back again. There was something thunderous between Marceline and Bonnibel but neither one of them would normally admit it regularly. The way Bonnibel's hands slid onto Marceline waist ignited something in her skin like lighting. The grips were soft and permissible as much as the roughness and persistence was allowed. It was warm… growing, hot, simmering. The motions they made were fluid, the kisses almost sincere but definitely fervent, the touches more so. The lack of clothing and the body heat being shared on the king-sized bed.

Marceline pulled away to breathe for a bit, so Bonnibel settled for her neck. She was settling for something more sensual that night, and it was as if she was getting her wish that night. Marceline let herself up and over Bonnibel, though, catching the redhead by surprise. Her hands were warm, but the body to touch was radiating a kind of heat that had questions and Marceline was sure she had the answers.

Taking Marceline's face into her hand, Bonnie kissed her again, and Marceline retaliated by tugging at the other girl's lower lip. Marceline trailed her hands lower onto Bonnibel's body as she placed bites onto her neck. Every flow an inch gave gasps of reactions from the redhead.

It started off with her mouth moving around expertly between Bonnie's legs, her tongue going as natural with the activity as she had mastered singing. Enough of that getting Bonnie on edge, she got on and up to use her fingers. The ministrations started off slow and deliberate, then it got faster and faster as they went on. Bonnibel was panting, moaning, borderline screaming Marceline's name. All of this happening as Marceline whispered and tugged Bonnibel's ear, on occasion biting and kissing her neck.

Ragged gasps, more moans, until Bonnie was done.

"You're so pretty when you do that." Marceline whispered. "Too bad we didn't get you tied up this time, honey."

Bonnibel laughed. "We could've, you know. But someone was impatient, and decided to go on ahead once we got in the room."

"Impatience is something you know me for."

"Mhmm." Bonnie hummed, pulling Marceline in as she collapsed by her side. "You can be patient sometimes."

"Of course, I can be good sometimes."

"More than sometimes," Bonnie drawled, booping at Marceline's nose. She kissed Marceline by the cheek and fell asleep as she snuggled closer.

"Will you be here in the morning?" Marceline asked.

Bonnie replied, eyes closed. "Mm."

Marceline put thought in the next. "Hey Bonnie?"

"Yes?"

"Do you love me?"

Another laugh, Bonnie whispered. "I love you."

Marceline smiled. "So you're not gonna dump me and leave me alone?"

"I don't wanna leave you," Bonnibel said, snorting amusedly. "I won't leave you, I promise."

Content with that, Marceline fell asleep, smiling.

-/-/-/-

 _"You've got something there in your hands," Marceline said, winking at the redheaded girl with the cocktail drink in her hands._

 _With a raised brow, the girl responded. "Mm? What would that be? Your heart or something?"_

 _The mistake that the girl made, which inevitably became her downfall, was that she let a hand lay on the table unattended at the comment._

 _Marceline took the time to take it and give it a kiss at the back and on the palm, holding fast onto it. "Not too hasty, dear. You could've asked for my name first."_

 _Impressed, Bonnibel smiled. "The name is Bonnie. What's yours, sweetheart?"_

 _"Marceline."_

 _"Sounds like something pleasant to hear." Bonnie dared._

 _"I like hearing it as well."_

 _"I imagine."_

 _And that first night, Bonnie did a little more than just imagining._

 _The both of them did a lot more than that, really._

-/-/-/-

The morning after, the other side of the bed was still unmade but Bonnibel was nowhere to be found. Marceline only found a little note on the bedside table.

The note read:

 _Marceline, honey, the sex was great and all but I had to head out to work early. See you tonight._

 _xxx,_

 _Bonnie_

And that sent a weird feeling in Marceline's gut.

She didn't like it whenever Bonnie would get up and leave without telling her that she had to go. No goodbye kisses or greetings were ever left for Marceline; there were only these shitty short notes. It was like a weird sting, and it was probably a little bit too conscious of her to do so, but she really didn't like it.

It wasn't always like that, either. Though the start was a mere hook-up, and though they never really had proper labels put on it, Bonnie would wake up Marceline an hour before she'd leave. They'd even have a quickie from time to time. Not that sex was all that mattered to Marceline, but the small sentiments that stemmed from the small gestures made her feel a little more assured that maybe, just maybe, Bonnibel would want something more stable with her at the end of the day.

It was probably making it toxic in Marceline's mind, and she had a hard time trying to shake it off. There really is no point, and it wasn't like she was going to make her thoughts revolve around Bonnibel entirely. She had a life, and she was going to live it. Also, she wasn't going to demand anything out of Bonnie for that.

To prove that to herself, she got on her own way to get ready for her job down the recording studio nearby before hitting it off into class later that day. If she could just get her wits together, maybe she'd actually feel like paying attention in class that time. And even though the water was a tad too hot when she took a shower, she didn't give a damn. She just wanted to get her life on and maybe that was the best start she could give herself if anything.

The struggle for everything once the litany of her daily routine was done was just to get out the door, and once she'd have done that, she would be able to do absolutely anything that she felt she could set her mind to.

The drive to the music studios was a little long, but that was thanks to the crappy radio station that was playing shit that were not as banging as Marceline hoped. Not that pop music was bad or anything, but Marceline wasn't feeling like going on about some girl's daily grind or a guy's smack on ass or whatever. All she wanted was just… some sort of beat; some sort of pitch and rhythm that she wasn't being drowned it at the moment.

She didn't know, she was just trying to feel around with whatever.

Well this was going to be a really long day.

-/-/-/-

Being on campus and eating lunch with Finn was a bit tedious, but Marceline tried not to care. Finn was just tapping away at his phone. He was so fixated on whatever girl he had found again. When would the boy ever learn to just get on with his life and not flirt with every female being that he saw?

But the photos that Marceline saw on his phone were… not what she wanted to see.

"What's that you're looking at?" Marceline said, raising a brow.

"Oh, some cute girl I saw somewhere. Dunno her name." He shrugged, smiling to himself. "She's just so goddamned hot."

"Her name is Bonnibel," Marceline mumbled. "And yeah, she is cute."

"You know her?" Finn said excitedly. "Can you introduce me to her? I've been so—"

"She's mine, Finn." Marceline hissed.

"What the fuck, Marceline?" Finn said, surprised. "Just cause someone is cute doesn't mean you can call dibs out of nowhere."

He shrugged and got back to tinkering on his phone.

"Bet you I can charm the pants off of her," Finn snickered.

"Stop being an ass." Marceline said tersely, hitting his arm. "I'm fucking serious, you stupid ass prick."

Finn blinked, slowly comprehending it. "Wait, you're legit serious? You're dating this girl?"

"Somewhere along those lines," Marceline concurred. "And I don't want you anywhere near her if you're going to act like some sort of horny boy like you do from time to time."

Finn's eyes looked guilty, but he shrugged. "Fine. What's yours is yours, mate."

"She stays over my place, Finn."

"You never told me of her before. You're making me think she's just some fling who casually sleeps over for sex sometimes."

The term hurt Marceline, to some extent. Why the fuck was she being possessive? She didn't even know if she had any real claim to Bonnibel but there she was drawing the lines for her. That wasn't nice nor was it a really good indicator of anything but she was just trying to work it out in her head.

"But can I have her number?" Finn insisted, jokingly.

Marceline huffed and stormed out.

Finn was just an ass.

-/-/-/-

Typing away at her laptop for her work was getting a little straining, and she just wanted to get the blasted thing over as soon as she could. It was just tiring having to work on so many essays at a time. She barely even got time for the song commissions she had to get around to completing and mixing. Most of the work was there but she hadn't been at the proper mindset to really get to it. She didn't know why, but she was just on some fucking slump the way a fucking college student would tend to be but it didn't really excuse anything now, did it?

Bonnie came waltzing into the room, a bit exhausted.

She crashed down onto the bed, trying to regain some sense of rest as minute as it would've been, and getting back into work mode by settling onto her working desk, taking some materials with her.

"Hello to you too, Bonnie." Marceline said, from her own area.

With a raised brow, Bonnie got to her. "Hello."

Marceline got quiet, but just got to work anyway. "How was your day?"

"It was fine. I got a lot of work done, been busy here and there. I came home from my Masters class and honestly I'm so fucking drained."

"I see."

"Something is bothering you."

"I—" Marceline tried to hold it in, but she got to it anyway. "Hey Bonnie, what are we?"

Bonnie was surprised. "I don't know. What do you want us to be?"

"I want us to have some sort of label, I guess? Like girlfriends or whatever."

"Labels are for kids, Marcy." And the way Bonnie said that sounded like she was mocking Marceline, somehow. "I like you, and you like me. That's all that matters, right?"

"I see."

"Does that not satisfy?"

"I don't want to comment on that."

Bonnie was disgruntled, but didn't add to the discussion any further. There really was no point in pursuing that line of conversation.

-/-/-/-

The bed was barely warm when they tried to get to sleep together that night.

The words from Finn came flooding in Marceline's head, making her wonder if there was something she needed that was lacking in the equation. She shouldn't really want a straight up label, since Bonnie was right. That was an outdated thing and it probably wouldn't matter, right? Labels are labels and not everyone needed them… but Marceline wanted something to just know that Bonnie was hers and only _hers_.

She turned to Bonnie who was barely asleep, but the girl seemed to come alive and a bit more sober as she suddenly looked at Marceline.

"What?"

"Why can't we be girlfriends?" Marceline asked.

"I don't know," Bonnie murmured. "Don't you think that's a little too fast? That's a shit ass concept to really get into."

"We've been having sex for months. You've been staying over like this place is all yours. It's basically like you live with me at this point."

"So? Your point?"

"You told me you loved me."

Bonnie got silent.

"Was I wrong with what I thought you implied?"

"Not necessarily."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know. I love you but I don't know what to make of this. I don't know where I want to go with you."

That was the only answer that Marceline needed.

Silent prevailed that night.


	2. Medium

CHAPTER 2 – Medium

The morning after that wasn't pleasant either.

Though they ended up in tangles just holding each other unconsciously while they were asleep, the bad feeling settled back into the pit of their stomachs a while after waking up, and the unsettling feeling didn't quite go away.

Marceline just sat up, quietly proceeding to get on with her daily routine. It was odd because Bonnie was the one who got up first, but there she was.

The silence stretched for a while, but it could only last for so long.

"You can see anyone else you want," Bonnie said harshly. "We just fuck, we just flirt. There's really nothing here." She didn't sound convincing to either of them, and Bonnibel sounded more like she was trying to convince herself that, but the words didn't stop stinging nonetheless. "You can have some other boyfriend or girlfriend if you really want some label, but honey whatever you might be looking for with me is just—"

"I'm not looking, nor am I begging, so please just stop it."

Bonnie blinked, as if the words surprised her. "Then what is it that you want?"

Marceline shrugged. "Nothing, so stop it."

The quiet stretched, and Bonnibel let it that time. It was as if they had some sort mutual agreement that they weren't going to be speaking for whatever duration of time they would let be. It was like some sort of break-up, but they weren't even dating and that probably frustrated the both of them more.

It shouldn't have escalated as much as it did, and Marceline was half sure that she wanted to pin some sort of blame on Bonnibel. She didn't like the way that she was making her feel. Maybe Marceline was expecting too much, but did Bonnibel not understand it or was she just not feeling anything at all? She said she loved her, but now the way she was acting over labels made it seem like she was saying it like a passing whim. But that wasn't Bonnie's fault. Maybe Marceline was being unfair with her expectations for whatever they had? Honestly, everything was a fucking whirl and she didn't know shit.

As if suddenly breaking the sphere, even though Marceline got ready first, as soon as Bonnie got on and ready for her own day, she just headed out and punctuated the distaste in the air even without slamming the door. The slightest click just hit Marceline like a freight train, and she didn't like the feeling that came as residue of it.

She didn't even have Bonnie. They weren't _anything_ but she felt like she lost her, and she didn't know which part of that made her feel more pathetic.

Anyway, Marceline didn't have the time to really dwell on it to begin with so she just had to suck it up and get to school before anything in her head interrupted her enough to make her skip class. She had credits she didn't want to fail, and that was her priority above anything.

Running about the apartment, getting her keys and just trying to judge how long she is allowed to mope, she tried to get on with her head and just focus on school… but even that was starting to become a tad difficult. She just got to driving, trying to think of good things, like how the school was going to promote her band in the upcoming student fair; she thought of how she and her friends were going to go to the beach when her birthday comes up. She thought of how her best friend was going to visit her from so far away. She thought of the happy thoughts until the happy thoughts ran out, and then she thought of them all over again. There was a way to exhaust her brain… she just had to make sure not to think of Bonnie.

No, she wasn't going to think of Bonnibel. Not the way that Bonnie's brows would somehow go up and look all scrunched when she was amused (or confused), nor the way that Bonnie had that weird laugh that came more as a _kekeke_ rather than a _hahaha_. Not the way that Bonnie would randomly pick on whatever sandwich she had made, nor the fact that Bonnie's back-up plan when not having made dinner was to make spaghetti for the nth night that week. Not the way Bonnie… and so, Marceline just did a defeated hit at the steering wheel.

Fuck it.

She parked the car at her designated spot on campus and just sat there for the next few minutes. All that was required of her was to breathe in and breathe out; there was no point thinking through the drama, and for certain she just really didn't want to give a shit. The truth is, she doesn't have to. And she won't. That was the point.

The way that Finn knocked on her car door didn't do much to stop the ache, but it did give her a mini heart attack, but for the most part it did take her away from the toxicity in her head for like, three minutes.

"Marceline, what's up?" Finn murmured. "You look like shit."

"Thanks," Marceline grumbled. "Anything new you have to offer, though?"

"Nothing really, just…" he scratched the back of his head. "You're normally like this when something is bothering you."

"Like what?"

"You know," he shrugged. "You would get to the car park early but you wouldn't leave your car."

"How did you even know I was here?"

"We had track practice earlier today, and I just saw your car come up the drive. You didn't even bother getting out of it."

"Lovely, isn't it?" Marceline scoffed. "I don't really feel like going to school today."

"Then why are you here anyway?" Finn asked, leaning about Marceline's car door. "You don't have to go to school if you're feeling like shit."

"Ah, but I must hasten in the world of education," Marceline tutted. "I don't want to have to indulge into nothingness when I have some responsibilities to attend to."

"You still can't get over that one bad mark, can you?"

"Hey, I have a bad enough rep. I don't want my grades to be a part of that."

"Fair enough." Finn laughed. "You gonna get out of that car yet or do I have to haul your ass into class?"

"Haul me," Marceline mockingly whined. "Drag my worthless body and throw me into the ditch called standardized education."

"Come on now, Marce."

"Fine."

Opening the car door, Marceline gave the boy a hug and walked with him to the class. It was probably for the better that they walked together, because it was easier to forget about Bonnie-related things. That didn't stop her thought process, but Finn was being a good sport in not attacking her with a bunch of questions.

It's a good thing friends can get on like that, right?

The class she had was something else, though. The problem could've been anything, but Marceline almost felt as nervous as Finn did with the way his vibe came up.

"When is Petrikov going to arrive?" Finn said, unable to keep his leg still. Bad habit.

"He's always late. What's the problem?"

"I turned in some papers late for our psych class, and I feel like he'll embarrass me again."

"So now, I assume that you're anticipating your demise?"

"Stop making things look poetic," he retorted. "It doesn't feel nice or, as you closet poets say, _beautiful_ to indulge in pain."

"You wound me, Mertens."

"Abadeer, I swear to god—"

The immense drop of a stack of papers made a stunning thud and it shook the life out of Finn, much to Marceline's amusement. The weary look on Dr. Simon Petrikov's face wasn't as heartwarming, though.

"Okay class…" he started. "We're going to discuss human needs and different theories that pertain to them."

Marceline rolled her eyes. Yeah, that sounded like a blast. She didn't really want to listen but she figured it might be worth the two cents she could drop in. She'd much rather find something else to do, but she was in class. Finn looked a little concerned at Petrikov but he still displayed a form of distaste nonetheless.

"Ugh, Petrikov is in a shit mood. It means I'll get… some shit. Probably." Finn twirled a pen to punctuate his statement.

Petrikov drew a triangle and started dividing it into sectors. He looked exhausted, the weariness obvious with his somewhat faltering handwriting. The usual neatness was somewhat devolved into something more erratic. No one had much of the guts to comment, but Marceline felt concerned. Still, the shakiness could've been dumbed down to lack of sleep or something. Whatever, she was probably overthinking things again.

"There is something about this hierarchy that is commonly presented to teenagers…" he went on. He dragged his marker along as the class merely nodded away. "It's been famously portrayed in media, so we might as well start with Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Now, we need someone to discuss what they might know about it…"

Audible groans followed.

"Finn." Petrikov called, raising a brow. "Do you have any idea what the hierarchy is?"

Finn slammed his head onto the table a little too hard and the resonating "bang" that followed it made Marceline cringe. Well, this development was not something she wanted.

"Like…" Finn floundered. "I guess it's some sort of ranking on what people want in life or something? I don't know."

Petrikov chuckled, but it wasn't in the demeaning way. He seemed too exhausted to really pin much on the class. "That's… somewhat how it works. But we really focus on the word _need_ here. But you're mostly correct, Mertens."

Finn blinked as if he was surprised to have gotten out of the question quite easily. He was skeptical but he just kept quiet. Marceline was also rather felt something was off. Normally, Petrikov was a little bit stricter. Maybe he was getting mellow.

"The thing about needs is that it has it's own focus at a time," the professor droned. "We have to start at the base where we must meet our basic needs, and it goes into security and education, then the more personal and intimate of needs leading into self-actualization and then transcendence."

"But transcendence is close to impossible, in the natural human state of living." Marceline countered, trying to rile the professor up. "Why was the concept introduced if it's an impossible case?"

Simon raised both his brows before furrowing them. "Point taken, Miss Abadeer. But there's always a sense of wanting to chase after such things, right? Perhaps that's the point of it. The point of living is chasing after impossibilities."

Marceline snorted, taking note of it as a typical pretentious answer.

"But we come to the idea of the needs; what is the priority that we take in this triangle?"

Everyone just looked at it. Reading through it… they put it under whatever strain they could.

A boy somewhere in the room clamored. "If the biggest part of the triangle is the one with the basic needs, wouldn't that be the most important part?"

Petrikov raised a brow. "Of course, we deal with our bodily needs first…"

Everyone hummed in agreement.

"But what's the point if it's not so much fulfilling?" he added.

The room went oddly still.

"Some people establish relationships," he continued. "Some people create relations, and affection comes and is exchanged. It's a sign of thriving. Having the base needs becomes pointless once we get higher into the hierarchy – then we become question marks of sustainability. We don't become satisfied the higher we get and the more we have."

That statement put a bad feeling in Marceline's stomach again. Maybe the fulfillment was necessary for her; maybe that's why she wanted something with Bonnie. She had what she needed, she had whatever she could want. Maybe the fact that there was this missing link only made her desire press on. Bonnie may not see it the same way, but Marceline put in some greater importance for that part of the hierarchy. Maybe the fact that she wasn't content with just what she had made it unfair.

"Marceline—" Finn said, waving for her attention. "You alright? You spaced out again."

Blinking a few times, Marceline tried to focus.

Finn slid a little cluster of papers. "These are the readings for the chapter. Petrikov seemed to want to get out of the class, so he rambled on a bit before leaving again."

Getting to her senses, Marceline stood up and tried to orient herself enough to try to go to Petrikov's office.

"Where you going, Marce?" Finn asked as Marceline got to arranging her things.

"Gonna go to Simon. Need to make sense of something."

Finn made a chuckling noise before adding the comment _closet poet_ as Marceline stalked away. She didn't really want to deal with being thought as pretentious. That shit is tiring enough as it is. She _might_ be pretentious but there's no need to poke fun of that now, right?

With a light tap at the door, she got an affirmative from the professor on the other side.

"Marceline," Simon said, perking up from his slanted disposition. "To what do I owe this pleasure? Did something happen?"

"Simon…" she said, motioning to sit on the couch by the side of his office. "Did something happen to _you_? You were kind of out of it during class."

"Oh," he shrugged. "Just… Betty."

"What happened with her?"

"She's come down with something and I'm scared it's rather serious. I've been going back and forth from the hospital to take care of her."

Marceline kept quiet.

What a thing it was, really. The way that Simon cared for Betty was almost something to be envious about, but there was also a pit of anxiety on Marceline's part. She was being selfish around the thoughts that were revolving around her mind and the way that Simon looked at her made it seem that he could tell that something was up.

"I see that there are also things on your mind."

Marceline shook her head, trying to snap out of the reverie she was caught in.

"It's something stupid, Simon. You've got… greater things to worry about."

Simon walked over to the couch where she stayed and put a reassuring hand to her shoulder.

"Your problems are valid, especially if they bother you enough to consult me," he reassured her. "So, are you ready to tell me?"

She heaved in a breath, trying to calculate how much she really wanted to say. Perhaps she wanted to let out everything, but all in all she wanted to just _tell_ someone. And if there was anyone who would understand her, it'd be Simon.

"There's this girl I like… And I don't know. I think I want something with her? But I don't know how deep it runs for her. I feel this… need. To have that form of security with someone? And I thought that someone would be her."

"And what seems to be the problem with that?"

"The thing is… I don't think she's accepting of that. She's treating me like a sideline sort of fling, I think," she groaned to that. "Perhaps her needs were already met to the point of her satisfaction, and I feel that mine hasn't. I feel like I'm being selfish, even, for wanting this kind of thing with her. She has so much of her life, so much to be busy with… While I'm here, yearning."

"Mhmm… How far have you gone with this girl?"

Marceline started tapping her foot nervously. "She's technically been living in my condo, mostly. She and I would have sex, like, a lot."

"I see…"

"Is that a problem?" Marceline only kept one eye open, prepared for some sort of berating from the old man.

"But beyond that…" he shrugged. "Get out of the physical circumstances and tell me of what substance you've had from each other."

She hesitated, thinking whether Bonnie really had validated what she said before.

"She told me she loved me." Marceline said, trying to convince herself of it. "She… I dunno, it started with casual flirtation from meeting at a bar. It just escalated, I guess."

"Escalated? From what?"

Marceline breathed in but she just came off with a soft smile. She didn't know whether it was a bittersweet thought or whatever but it was there.

 _/-/-/_

 _The bar was close to crowded and Marceline felt sick of the scene, but she did want to leave with someone in mind._

 _"Wanna leave?" Marceline asked the other girl. "There's not much to stay around for, considering… my friend probably went about doing his thing or whatever."_

 _Bonnie looked as if she was still considering the proposition but the teasing smile she had pretty much gave the decision away. "Where are we to head?"_

 _"I'm not sure. The night is yours to spend." Marceline replied, curtsying out of lighthearted jest. "I am but to follow your command, your majesty."_

 _She smiled, taking Marceline's arm and wobbling a bit as she walked about. "I'm a tad tipsy… I think."_

 _Laughing along, the two of them just left the bar and got to walking around the city, and soon enough they found themselves at the bridge on the way to Marceline's apartment._

 _Throwing her arms up in the air as the breeze came through the bridge they were on, Marceline had never felt so alive. There, she was standing in front of the most beautiful girl she had ever met. Though that judgement may be bad considering that she was kind of tipsy and every girl would be pretty right off the bat (especially under any level of inebriated)._

 _As clouded as it was, she just couldn't stop looking at the redheaded girl. She was also kind of inebriated, by the looks of it (and maybe more so than Marceline) but she had her own smile plastered on her face. Marceline couldn't help but stare, but with a step backward, she found herself tripping on her own feet and on her ass._

 _Bonnie obviously found that way too funny, snorting out a laugh before bursting into a bit of a hysteric, also finding her way on the ground._

 _"Hey, that's mean!" Marceline whined whilst laughing. "You wouldn't like it if I laughed at you for falling onto your ass."_

 _Bonnie winked, then going on by showing off a million dollar smile like damn. "But you wouldn't, you know. I have a feeling you wouldn't."_

 _Marceline smiled in turn, getting up and off of her ass to come pick Bonnie up. "You're probably right. I'd probably be distracted or something."_

 _"What were you looking at anyway?" Bonnie asked, hoisting herself up with Marceline's help. "You seemed to be distracted then as well."_

 _"You." Marceline replied to the taller girl. "You're quite distracting."_

 _Bonnibel's eyes widened, surprised with what Marceline had said. "Mm, bold in the moonlight, I see?"_

 _As if struck by a realization, Marceline just got into a thinking stance whilst still looking at Bonnibel. "Not so much on that, but can you really blame me for appreciating beautiful things and people? It's not really an uncommon thing."_

 _"Hmm…" Bonnie looked as if she was skeptical, but she also seemed a little shock at the admission. It seemed like a soft kind of surprise, because there was a subtle shift in her eyes and Marceline decided she liked that. "I suppose I'll have to follow through. But…"_

 _Bonnibel pulled Marceline in to kiss her._

 _"You're… not that bad." Marceline smiled._

 _"I can say the same for you." Bonnie hummed._

 _Another kiss came to follow._

 _It was soft but it grew more fervent as they got by it. But Marceline let go first, laughing and doing a little dance with Bonnibel. It would've been a bit comical considering the fact that she twirled around a girl who was a tad taller than her, but they didn't mind._

 _It was cute._

 _It was kind of sweet._

 _It was a first._

 _And obviously, they were a lot less drunk at that point._

 _They ended up hastily walking up to Marceline's apartment, feeling a tad too excited after the series of fluffy events, and the door was barely closed before Bonnibel got Marceline's back against the wall. It was before words could really escape in the small span of time, but Bonnie had her lips on Marceline's neck and a thigh in between her legs so things were evidently going a tad fast and Marceline liked that._

 _They scrambled about their clothing, from their blouses, to Marceline's skirt and Bonnie's skinny jeans, and down to the stagnant portion of underwear as Marceline maneuvered Bonnibel around the apartment and into her bedroom._

 _Everything was soft to the touch, frankly speaking. It almost felt sentimental, and they barely even knew each other. Still, there was something reverent about the way that Bonnie tugged on her ear and whispered profane things; you know how it goes. To treat like a princess, and to fuck like a slut, right? But it almost felt like something interestingly… sweet. A hook-up that's sweet and sentimental; it was almost comical. It could be a load of bullshit but damn did it feel authentic. It didn't even feel close to scandalous when they got their underwear off of themselves._

 _The way that one of Bonnie's hands held on Marceline's arms, holding her down, made it evident that she wasn't really playing much games in the toss and turn of sex. Marceline tugged at Bonnie's lower lip as if demanding something, or at least showing some sort of defiance to it, and the other girl just showed at least some form of gratification just kissing her in turn._

 _Concentrated kisses and slow motions, the neck, collarbone, breasts, and the deliberate trail down to Marceline's thighs. Nipping and biting in soft ways, teasing and moving about the wet area with a finger before indulging on it herself._

 _Marceline was kind of thrilled. It felt nice, and she probably hasn't been handled that way but it was a good start with how she's liking the way Bonnie was going by with doing her._

 _The way Bonnie's hands worked though was like magic; and while enjoying the climaxing moment, Marceline vowed to possibly pay the redhead back._

 _As Bonnie got the other girl to get done, Marceline smirked, and got to pulling her closer._

 _"Remember how I said I'd like to hear you say my name?"_

 _With a twinkle in her eye, Bonnie responded. "Yes, I think I recall it vividly."_

 _Smiling her way, she did find a way to repay the favor Bonnie did on her._

 _Let's say she got to her to say her name enough times to satisfy._

 ** _-/-/-/-_**

Bonnie tried to snap herself out of the conversation that she and Marceline had. She tried to forget how much of an asshole she was, and she tried to forget that she essentially fucked up something just because of uncertainty. But she had that much of a right… right? She loved Marceline, but did that mean she had to be with her that way? No!

She had every right to deny things, and she had every right to take things by how she knew felt more comfortable for her. She knew how to make things hurt less at the end of the day, and if leaving the relationship (or lack thereof) out of labels made it easier to one day deal with inevitable loss… then she would be happier with that.

Besides, she had other things to do, and the fact that she had to do severe sessions of overtime in the local library over her recent dissertation, and her thesis on reanimating cells was also on the works. She didn't have enough time to actually go and enjoy things anymore and what time she had, she gave to Marceline. Wasn't that enough?

She tried to balance it with friends, masters, work, and Marceline. That was enough on her hands, and any change in the balance might make it harder to really deal with any of them. Commitments are scary enough; a disorderly life would just complicate everything even more. Cursing herself, though, she knew that it was not even a logical to really fucking think about that shit.

In her attempt to shake it off, the essays and scholastic journals that she had gotten her hands on were severely abused in terms of perusal. How does that even work? She read them too much? Even still, the intense attempt to digest every word on every damn page made it seem too scandalous. Such was the life of Bonnibel, though. It would seem funny if only she wasn't so goddamn agitated.

"What if I just stop," Bonnibel hummed, trying to disregard the odd ache in her chest. "It's just fucking stupid. This stupid thing doesn't match up to my priorities."

With a sudden thud, Bonnie was jolted back into attention.

"Something botherin' you, girl?" Lila asked, eyebrow raised to the effect. "You haven't looked at that paper for a good fifteen seconds."

"I'm good, thanks." Bonnie lied, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I'm just stressed about work and my masters." That was kind of a lie, but still.

Lila didn't seem so bothered by that, so she just prattled on about the latest gossip, and Bonnie just got back into the zone of her work, preferring not to care about whatever the hell the gossip mill was going on about.

"—Oh yeah, how are you and that girl you met in the bar doing?"

That put everything to a halt.

"Hm?"

"You know, that, uh… the one with the black hair? Couldn't tell under the lighting but it was probably black."

Sighing, Bonnie put her paper down. "You don't really take much features for a woman, do you?"

"As a straight woman, I might concur, but I try," Lila countered. "She seemed interesting and you seemed into her."

"Yeah…" Bonnie said, the word slipping away without permission.

"How long have you been dating?" Lila asked, "She's kinda hot, probably. For you… I think."

"Yeah." Bonnie added, not really wanting to encourage that line of conversation.

"You seemed interested, but you're not dating?"

"It's… more complicated than that."

"Goddammit, why does it always have to be complicated when it comes to you and personal relationships, Bon?" Lila said, half in jest.

Despite the fact that it was mostly a joke, it did hit Bonnie. Why did she always make it complicated? Did she, really? That seemed too big of an accusation that Bonnie didn't know how to really answer it, herself.

"Girl, just go get her," Lila laughed. "You're freaking out."

Bonnie grumbled in turn, since she didn't really want to deal with it at that moment. It was just too irritating, and she had no plans on really addressing it any time soon.

The taste was oddly sour in her mouth, though, and it was fucking draining. The next time there was an indication that Lila was going to make a commentary of sorts, she just got up and made some flimsy excuse that she didn't even fucking remember. All she knew was that she wanted out and any indication that Marceline was going to be some sort of topic made her feel too queasy for comfort.

She just walked out and away.

Like she always did.

She found herself walking to the same bridge that she found herself in some stupid ass cheesy drunken moment in that goddamn night months ago. It was too early into the evening to really do anything, but she just found herself walking some more.

Maybe it'd make sense if she just screamed a little, or if they fought a little more into it. She didn't know. All she knew was that small words really made her worry and the intricate things she's made are things she wouldn't want falling apart quicker before she could say anything about them.

Marceline was a hot and cold in the making, and she didn't know whether she wanted to invest on that kind of person. She didn't know if she wanted to invest in any kind of relationship with anyone, but after quite some time with her, she felt that she knew Marceline.

She was a swinging mess between hot and cold, and she knew what she wanted. She was snarky, self-deprecating, draining, and just an honest to God obviously unstable hot mess. She was demanding but she loved ardently. She knew Marceline.

The walk on the way to Marceline's apartment was sure, yet she tried to calculate the steps she had to take to get there. She felt that they were too heavy and rushed.

Think of that – she avoided the elevator in favor of just taking her time, but she wasn't even sure that Marceline was there to begin with. She didn't know what she wanted out of whatever exchange they were going to have but she knew she was going to lead them… somewhere. What even did she want to say? She didn't know.

For once, that scientific mind was thinking about something else and it confused the fucking hell out of her.

Once she got there, though, the door was still locked. Marceline wasn't home yet, and it was roughly nearing merely thirty minutes past her last class. Bonnie should've checked the time. What other way to feel like an idiot… Goddamn it.

Still, with the spare key that Marceline gave her, Bonnie got into the apartment anyway.

She knew that shit was shitty and she didn't know what to fucking say most of the goddamn time but she wanted to work it through. She didn't like feelings and dealing with them. Verbalizing that shit is harder than anything.

The door got to a click though, and Marceline stared at her.

"Bonnie, why are you here? Don't you have class?"

"I wanted to talk."

Maybe this time the words that she would try to say would actually work out.


	3. Well

CHAPTER 3 – Well

"So, what?" Marceline urged expectantly. "What do you have to say?"

Bonnibel looked like she was starting to regret whatever rash decision got in her head. The look of brief panic (and probably denial) gripped her for a few seconds before she visibly swallowed the lump in her throat and regained her composure.

"Our relationship." Bonnie replied, the words coming off in a way that it seemed forced. She was evidently _trying_ though Marceline was not sure whether to take that positively or what. The words sounded like Bonnie was trying to spit fire but the way that she looked made it seem so vulnerable. "I need to clarify some things."

"I'm listening." Crossing her arms, Marceline just gave her a look, challenging Bonnie to meet her eyes. There was a hint of hope in the expectation Marceline had at the back of her mind, but she wasn't giving into it just yet. Not until Bonnie had said her piece.

"Maybe I want you to be mine," Bonnie mumbled. "But I don't know how to feel about labels. I just—"

Raising an eyebrow, Marceline still kept quiet; but her gaze softened and Bonnibel looked more at ease to really say… whatever it was.

"— I just, I need time. Sudden jumps into the thought of commitment isn't something I quite enjoy. What we had was… it was a big one-night stand that become more than a casual hook-up."

Bonnibel looked like she was a bit too scared to even really look at her head-on but she did anyway, and Marceline's heart broke at that. Either way, it urged her to speak.

"Bonnie, I won't ask the whole thing if you don't want it," Marceline reassured, stumbling on her words. "But what is this, really? I want to know."

Chewing at her bottom lip, Bonnibel tried to put herself into a thinking space. Marceline was sure that the look she was giving was demanding as much as it was pleading, but she didn't know what else to do. What else was there to say, really? What else was there to _do_ but wait for Bonnie to say something? Whatever, she was probably overthinking it… Though that time was probably the appropriate time to overthink.

After a lengthy period of time, Bonnie still didn't say anything. She rested her face into her hands; this irritated Marceline enough to move for the door, but the moment she got to the handle, Bonnie walked over and reached out to her other hand. Pulling Marceline to face her, Bonnie gave a look intense enough to break any feeling that came before then. What was it? Straightforward? Resolute? Whatever. Gravity could only pull her closer.

The kiss was soft and reverent. It was tentative, and much like their first. This time though, it seemed more like a sincere prayer. It tasted like hopes, questions, requests, and of course, Strawberry Chapstick. How cliché.

Letting go, they just stayed where they were. Bonnie placed a kiss on Marceline's forehead and just held her there. They didn't really move to do much of anything. It wasn't some sort of sex-fueled moment. It was just… something. It was sincere above everything else and neither of them wanted to break it.

Standing there in that moment, everything was meant to be still.

 _/-/-/_

 _Waking up right next to the girl at the bar wasn't something Bonnibel quite expected when she got out of it with her. Though sex was to be expected, she didn't really plan on staying. However, her mind was reconsidering as she looked to the girl she lay in bed with._

 _Marceline, she recalled. That was her name._

 _For starters, the sex was really good – excellent for a one-night stand._

 _When Bonnie looked at Marceline, she felt something. The simplest of touch that came the very first time they kissed ignited lighting, and somehow alchemized her entire being. Well, how fucking cliché, right? Bonnibel must've been out of her mind._

 _She had only known Marceline for a night but then she pretty much knew that she had touched her the way Midas would, leaving her feeling like gold. That made Bonnie feel things, and that was a definite no to her. Just casting a look at Marceline only meant that she didn't want to look anywhere else, though._

 _She should have been thinking about getting her clothes and discreetly leaving, getting her valuables, and calling the next Uber to get to her place to do whatever, but she was still there lying in bed, casting slight glances at the olive-skinned girl next to her. The way that the light played around with the strange tan was obviously sinister, because it didn't help Bonnie's case._

 _Once Marceline's eyes started to flutter open, Bonnie felt something catch up in her throat._

 _"Yo," Marceline greeted, wiping at her eyes, shifting the blanket and exposing more skin than Bonnie anticipated._

 _What was pleasing about everything was that she did find all the marks she had left that night. Slight bruises painting the color of her skin._

 _"Good morning, Marceline." Bonnie replied, not resisting the urge to smile. She might as well revel in the feeling. "It's nice in the morning light. Your apartment is nice."_

 _Turning over and gazing at Bonnie, Marceline smiled. "Maybe you should come over more often."_

 _"Maybe." Bonnibel smiled_

 _"Really, whatever you feel like. You can go on if you want," Marceline shrugged. "I had a lovely night."_

 _Somehow those string of words as they were hurt Bonnibel a little, as if their one night was… less to Marceline somehow. It gave an odd dull sting and she realized that it would probably be best to leave it be. Casual was always best, and whether or not this woman had the "touch of gold," it was definitely inevitable that shit would blow up if she got invested._

 _Still, with the million miles an hour worth of thinking wracking up in her head, she gave in with a smile. Might as well play along; she'd hope she wouldn't get hurt anyway. But whatever, Bonnibel can be the coldhearted bitch if she needed to be. Bonnibel is the coldhearted bitch she could be and that was a fact._

 _"I could find the time to stay around," she hummed, trying to smile in that sly way that came off a little more than that._

 _The way that Marceline smiled in response was something else._

 _"I could make you stay," she shrugged but somehow with care. "I'd like you to, at least."_

 _And this Marceline person just didn't stop smiling at her. It almost looked sincere._

 _She was so fucking radiant that Bonnie probably forgot that getting into trouble wasn't in the agenda._

 _The next smile she gave was… something closer to true._

 _Whatever. Fuck it._

 _Bonnie was willing to risk it, maybe just this once._

-/-/-/-

They just laid there on the bed for what seemed like an eternity. Bonnie didn't do much, but she hoped that the slight, soft grip she kept on Marceline's hand said all she wanted to. She didn't understand much other than the fact that she was a little bit confused with the thundering thoughts. There was nothing that had happened that could be distinctly remarkable, but the feelings were there regardless.

Bonnibel liked the feeling when it started, and she liked the way Marceline's skin felt under her touch, even though it was just bare of a brush's flicker. It was soft, and it felt… nice. She liked the way she was when she was with her.

"I'm in love with you, I'm sure," Bonnie mumbled, partially not wanting Marceline to actually hear her. "But this whole thing is weird, and I don't know how this kind of shit even works."

"You don't have to." Marceline reassured softly, shifting to look at Bonnibel. "We don't have to do anything."

Raising a brow, Bonnie just took to looking back at her. "I'm not sure I understand what you mean."

"Do you really think I'd demand anything from you?" Marceline pointed out. "I guess I want attention, I guess a label would be nice. But at this point I'd just want you to stay."

The softness by Marceline's gaze wasn't that hard to catch, and it made Bonnie catch her breath. She was sure that at that very moment, she did know that she wanted to stick with Marceline. It definitely sounded like the best thing at that moment. The uncertainties that were lingering still made themselves known, but the clarity in it was somehow… there.

"Maybe we could be something."

"Maybe, indeed."

"Do you think we could be?"

"I don't see why not."

The ease of everything just made Bonnibel want to smile, but she was exhausted and all she wanted to do was hold Marceline. In the end she found herself wrapping her arms around the shorter girl, pulling her close as she opted it was time to sleep.

"Gonna crash?"

"Can we forget about this for now and talk about it tomorrow?"

"Sure, Bon."

Easing up a little and just scooting a little too closely, Bonnie hummed, "Goodnight, Marcy."

"Goodnight, Bonnie." Marceline said in turn, "We can talk about it anytime."

"No pressure?"

"No pressure."

Bonnie smiled a bit at that, finally finding at least some sense of peace in all of this at the end of the day.

Everything will be okay.

The morning after will follow.

All that mattered was that Marceline was there.

Right there, at that very moment.

"I love you," she sleepily blurted out.

"I love you too."

And perhaps that was that.


End file.
